The Balwant Rai Mehta
Committee was a committee appointed by the
Government of India in January 1957 to examine
the working of the Community Development
Programme (1952) and the National Extension
Service (1953) and to suggest measures for their
better working. This committee recommended
the establishment of a 3-tier Panchayati Raj
system-Gram Panchayat at the village level,
Panchayat Samiti at the block level, and Zila
Parishad at the district level.